Key Takeaways:
- Nelly says misinformation led to the $50 million lawsuit spearheaded by Ali.
- Kyjuan, Murphy Lee, and City Spud distanced themselves from the legal battle and remained on good terms with Nelly.
- The group’s early business decisions continue to affect Nelly and Ali’s relationship, even after the lawsuit was dropped.
Nelly has not allowed business to derail his friendships with three members of the St. Lunatics. The Hip Hop group is composed of the “Hot in Herre” artist, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. During a Thursday (June 26) appearance on the “Joe and Jada” podcast, the three-time Grammy Award-winner spoke on the September 2024 $50 million lawsuit brought against him by his group mates that alleged he improperly credited them for their contributions to his debut album, Country Grammar.
The hitmaker said, “I think people were misinformed,” as he sat beside his wife, Ashanti, as they promoted their new reality show, “Nelly and Ashanti: We Belong Together.” Last year’s filing cited eight songs, including the titular track from Nelly’s 2000 freshman LP. He mentioned that some of the men chose not to participate in meetings as deals were being brokered. “It got to a point to where… everybody’s trying to pay attention to something they should have been paying attention to since day one,” he said.
Nelly admitted that the group’s early deal with Universal Music Group was flawed from the start. He explained, “The oldest member of the group [Ali]... the manager is his best friend, our business manager is his best friend, and our road manager is his best friend. So, they negotiated everything.”
“And I’m trying to [be mindful] because they still got other things, but they were influencing the other ones. So, when the ones that did not know what happened found out what happened, now you see us back on tour, except for one,” he continued. “Because long story short, the truth just needed to be told, and people needed to find out not just why it is [the way it is] but how it is, and when you found out how it was, you understood — they understood.”
In fall 2024, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, and City Spud requested that they be removed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit — Slo Down was never included in the matter. The men claimed they “did not authorize” the inclusion of their names in the legal battle.
A few months later, in April 2025, Ali dropped the lawsuit. His and Nelly's bond, though, had been fractured for years due to disagreements over money and music in the past. The two men remain at odds to this day. Nelly and the three others tied to the legal drama have continued to rock stages like the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special and throughout the “Where The Party At Tour.”